← NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES · Brooklyn

Clinton Hill / Fort Greene

Two adjacent landmark-district-heavy Brooklyn neighborhoods with substantial prewar brownstone and small-building conversion inventory. The Fort Greene Historic District and Clinton Hill Historic District constrain exterior work and stretch capital-project timelines — a structural fact that shapes the cost of ownership here.

ZIP Codes 11205, 11238
Typical Price Range $500K – $3M
Subway Access B, Q, G, C trains; LIRR Atlantic Terminal

Building Stock

Predominantly 4–6 story prewar brick and limestone elevator buildings, a large cohort of brownstone-to-condo conversions in the residential side streets, and a growing cohort of 2010s+ new-construction along Myrtle Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard perimeter.

Active Managing Agents

The most common managing agents operating in Clinton Hill / Fort Greene include:

See our full managing agent directory for violation records, portfolio size, and composite performance scores.

Key Issues to Watch For

  • Landmark district approvals add 6–18 months to facade and exterior work timelines; budget accordingly and read the last LPC decision letter.
  • Small brownstone conversions (4–8 units) typically have minimal reserves and limited capacity to absorb major capital expense.
  • Pratt Institute-adjacent buildings have student-rental turnover and noise considerations that affect long-term operating costs.
  • Myrtle Avenue and Navy Yard-adjacent new-construction has clustered 421-a abatement expirations between 2027 and 2035 — model the tax reset before signing.

Local Law 11 / FISP Exposure

Landmark approvals stretch FISP cycles; buildings under sidewalk shed for extended periods are common in this district. Read QEWI report timing carefully — work that should have completed last cycle may still be open.

For a complete explanation of how Local Law 11 compliance — and non-compliance — affects your carrying costs, read our full LL11 briefing.

Clinton Hill / Fort Greene at a Glance

30 Buildings audited of ~637 condo/co-ops in area (4.7%)
748 HPD Class C violations Immediately hazardous, across audited buildings
3,941 HPD violations (all classes) A, B, and C combined
8,179 311 complaints Resident-filed across audited buildings

Aggregate counts roll up only the buildings we have audited so far. Coverage expands as we score more buildings.

Highest-Risk Buildings in Clinton Hill / Fort Greene

Ranked by composite risk score (HPD violations weighted by severity + 311 complaints + ECB fines + HPD litigation). Click any building for the full forensic profile.

# Address Managing Agent HPD-C Total Viol. 311 Risk Score
1 209 Clinton Avenue FirstService Residential 68 716 464 22,693
2 255 Eastern Parkway FirstService Residential 191 658 404 21,030
3 365 Clinton Avenue FirstService Residential 46 344 982 12,317
4 354 Myrtle Avenue FirstService Residential 123 469 213 10,963
5 275 Park Avenue FirstService Residential 84 289 1051 10,538
6 135 Eastern Parkway FirstService Residential 11 35 2489 6,895
7 28 Jefferson Avenue AKAM Associates 66 289 119 5,697
8 204 Clinton Avenue FirstService Residential 34 254 308 5,635
9 325 Clinton Avenue FirstService Residential 23 142 156 5,049
10 279 Washington Avenue AKAM Associates 17 156 92 4,739

Managing Agents Operating in Clinton Hill / Fort Greene

Ranked by number of audited buildings under management. From HPD Registration filings.

  1. FirstService Residential 25 buildings
  2. AKAM Associates 5 buildings

Your Elected Representatives

NYC condo & co-op governance reform happens in Albany and at City Hall. These are the lawmakers covering this neighborhood.

NY Assembly District 52 Jo Anne Simon
NY State Senate District 25 Jabari Brisport
NYC Council District 35 Crystal Hudson
US Congress District NY-7 Nydia M. Velázquez

Generate a letter to your representative →

Before You Sign a Contract

  1. Pull the building's record — use our building search to get HPD violations, DOB complaints, managing agent history, and composite risk.
  2. Read the full offering plan and last three annual financial statements — don't accept a summary.
  3. Check the reserve fund — benchmarks vary by building age and size, but thin reserves are the canary for upcoming special assessments.
  4. Ask about upcoming capital projects — facade, elevator, lobby, roof, mechanical — and pin down the budget.
  5. Verify the tax abatement status — if 421-a or another abatement is expiring, model the reset on your carrying costs 5 and 10 years out.
  6. Search NYSCEF for active litigation — against the board, the managing agent, or the sponsor LLC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Clinton Hill / Fort Greene a good place to buy a condo or co-op?

Clinton Hill / Fort Greene can be a good buy, but only with building-specific due diligence. Two adjacent landmark-district-heavy Brooklyn neighborhoods with substantial prewar brownstone and small-building conversion inventory. The Fort Greene Historic District and Clinton Hill Historic District constrain exterior work and stretch capital-project timelines — a structural fact that shapes the cost of ownership here. Use our building search to pull the specific property's violation record, managing agent history, and risk score before you commit.

What managing agents operate in Clinton Hill / Fort Greene?

Major managing agents active in Clinton Hill / Fort Greene include AKAM Associates, FirstService Residential, Orsid Realty, Brown Harris Stevens. Each has a different portfolio size, service tier, and violation track record — check each one's profile on our managing agent directory before bidding on a building managed by any of them.

What are the most common issues in Clinton Hill / Fort Greene buildings?

Landmark district approvals add 6–18 months to facade and exterior work timelines; budget accordingly and read the last LPC decision letter. Small brownstone conversions (4–8 units) typically have minimal reserves and limited capacity to absorb major capital expense. For the full list of risks to verify before signing a contract, read the main neighborhood briefing above.

How does Local Law 11 / FISP affect Clinton Hill / Fort Greene buildings?

Landmark approvals stretch FISP cycles; buildings under sidewalk shed for extended periods are common in this district. Read QEWI report timing carefully — work that should have completed last cycle may still be open. Our full LL11 guide explains what to look for in any facade report: condoscoopsnyc.org/issues/local-law-11-cost-opacity/

Related Resources

This guide is a due-diligence briefing — not a lifestyle review. For building-specific data (violations, managing agent, litigation history), use our building search. Have a Clinton Hill / Fort Greene story to share? Tell us what happened.